


The Little Bird and the Snow

by cherrylove, ladyannabethstark, sansapotter



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Domestic Disputes, Domestic Violence, F/M, Implied Affair/Cheating, Past Relationship(s), Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2016-06-07
Packaged: 2018-07-12 23:15:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7127372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrylove/pseuds/cherrylove, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyannabethstark/pseuds/ladyannabethstark, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansapotter/pseuds/sansapotter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was her brother's best friend. She was his best friend's younger sister. They shouldn't have been this curious about each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> This work was previously separated into thirteen parts and we've decided to make it one work to gather it all together.

Sansa looked over the quiet, bespectacled, lanky boy who stood, beer in hand, with her brother and his friends on the immense stretch of green grass of the Stark family’s backyard. He was not like most of her brother’s friends who were loud, rambunctious, and bulky with muscles. He was so different and it made her wonder what he could possibly have in common with her brother. He had a solemn, reflective look and feel about him. He wasn’t completely lacking in the muscles department, but he was lean, so maybe swimming? Robb did swim for the college in the lacrosse team’s off-season. She watched the group for several minutes from her place on the porch before going down the stairs and towards the lounge chairs where Margaery and her other friends were chatting and drinking blackberry lemonades.

She eased down onto the lounge chair near Margaery’s feet, leaning back on the hand that didn’t hold her drink. Sansa was able to slip into a the conversation with ease as they talked about a party they’d been to last week and what would happen the next couple of weeks leading up to their senior year of high school. They chatted for a bit about their schedules before moving onto Theon Greyjoy. He and Margaery apparently hooked up at a party his younger sister threw and now they were being entertained with a story of his floundering.

“For all of his bluster, Theon is a bit of a mess in bed. I’m not sure that he knows it and God knows I won’t tell him. Guys like that need their ego stroked,” Margaery said with a coy grin.

Sansa laughed along with the other girls.

Arianne looked over at the group of boys and pursed her lips in thought, “Do you think they’re all like that? A mess in bed?”

Everyone grew silent as they considered it.

“Statistically speaking, they can’t all be that bad,” Margaery said.

“My bets are on Robb,” Myranda said.

Sansa’s eyes widened and she looked at her friends with horror.

“That’s my brother!” she shrieked, throwing a towel at Myranda.

They all giggled at her reaction and she rolled her eyes, glancing back at her brother and his group of friends. As she looked at each of them, purposefully avoiding Robb because of what Myranda said, her eyes fell on his closest friend. For an insane moment, Sansa wondered what he would be like in bed. A deep flush formed on her cheeks as she imagined his hands and lips exploring her body.

“I think Sansa has an idea of who might be satisfactory,” Arianne teased, noticing her blush.

She shook her head, taking a long drink of her lemonade.

“I’m just imagining the look on Theon’s face if he figured out that he’s not as good as he likes to brag that he is,” she said with a small smile.

They all laughed once more and she took another sneaky glance at Jon. The quiet ones were always the biggest surprises. Perhaps he would be the best of them all. Sansa tore herself away from the thoughts, shaking her head as she focused on Arianne’s words.

Jon stood with Robb and some of the other guys they went to University of Massachusetts Amherst with. They’d been talking about the upcoming lacrosse season and what their schedules looked like for the upcoming semester, but had moved onto Theon’s latest conquest who was apparently a friend of Sansa’s.

“Margaery puts on this innocent exterior when she’s around your sister, but man is she a wild card. I wouldn’t mind having another go round with her,” Theon said, elbowing Robb.

“Man, I’ve known Margaery since she was like five, can we just...I don’t know, not talk about how she is in bed?” Robb asked, a grimace on his face.

“You really think they’re not talking about it?” Theon said with a suggestive grin.

As if on cue, he heard a laugh coming from the direction of the pool and looked over towards it. Robb’s younger sister, Sansa sat on one of the lounge chairs with her friends surrounding her and talking. She seemed a stark contrast to her siblings, who were all generally energetic and outgoing. She seemed to be a bit more reserved and fanciful. He’d seen her get agitated with Arya earlier when the younger of the two shoved a frog she’d just fished out of the koi pond into her older sister’s face. Sansa practically shoved Arya away and fled to their father, shouting about disgusting amphibians. The girls were truly opposite sides of two different coins.

“I don’t really want to think about my little sister talking about that,” Robb said, shaking his head with a warning tone clear in his voice.

No one replied to that, knowing better than to even imagine Sansa in the same sentence as sex. Robb had a way of knowing when someone had intentions towards his younger sisters. He didn’t often play the role of protective big brother but they all knew that he could easily fall into it if it was necessary. Still, Jon could not help but let his eyes take in the redhead. As he did, it was not hard to miss the way her gaze slid over to him. Her cheeks colored when their eyes met and she looked away quickly, taking a long drink from the glass in her hand. She was beautiful, there was no denying that.

But no matter how attractive he found her, Sansa would always be his best friend’s little sister. Nothing would change that and Jon was friends with Robb before he ever laid eyes on her. She was off limits and there was nothing more to it. Yet even as he thought the words, trying to convince himself, he heard her musical laugh carry over to them and felt like he wanted to know her.

They were out of ice and apparently Sansa was exactly the person to fetch more. Robb and most of his friends were too drunk to even consider moving from their spot. She closed the car door with her hip roughly and cursed angrily. It would definitely be bruised in the morning. She struggled to get two of the bags comfortable in her arms for a few moments before grabbing the other two in her hands and starting the long drag to the backyard. She was focused on making it to the backyard when she felt some of the bags being liberated from her. She looked up to see Jon Snow with the two bags of ice she’d been dragging in his hands. She blushed and stood up, “Oh, uh...thanks.”

He gave her a half-smile and adjusted his grip on one of the bags, muscles going taut in his forearms. She blushed, looking away from his arms and began to walk toward the backyard once more.

“I’m Jon, by the way. I don’t think we’ve met yet.”

“Oh, we haven’t but Robb’s mentioned you. I’m Sansa. Nice to meet you.”

The rest of the walk to the backyard was silent. He helped her empty the bags into the cooler and brushed his damp hands on his jeans.

“Again, uh, thanks for the help,” Sansa said as she gathered the plastic bags to throw away.

“No problem. See you around Sansa,” he said before turning and going back to where Robb and his friends were smoking cigarettes and drinking.

Sansa watched as he walked away and bit her lower lip. Jon Snow was definitely different from Robb’s other friends. She sighed and bounded down the stairs, going to join her friends at the edge of the pool once more.

 


	2. Watch It All Burn Down Around Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first grade classes were meeting the firefighters at the end of the day, which Sansa didn’t think was the greatest idea because though she was a decent teacher, she couldn’t compete with a firetruck.

“Miss Stark look!” one of the boys had climbed on to the radiator to look out of the window gesturing wildly. “It’s a firetruck!”

After one of the older students pulled the fire alarm the week prior, the school board deemed a safety week necessary. Fortunately the elementary school principal, and Sansa’s boss, was close friends with some of the firefighters in their town. Mr. Tarly volunteered in college, briefly, but kept in touch with the “full-timers”. One of the school board members worked for the police department and one of her co-workers was a volunteer EMT, so safety week was set-up to be a success.

The first grade classes were meeting the firefighters at the end of the day, which Sansa didn’t think was the greatest idea because though she was a decent teacher, she couldn’t compete with a firetruck. All afternoon, little faces peered out the window to get a good look at the ladder as it rose for a demonstration. She wasn’t a quitter, switching from basic math to reading. Unfortunately even their favorite book couldn’t hold their attention until the bell rang, signaling that it was time for the first graders to troop outside.

They stood separated by class, little girls standing closer to one another and shyly trying to keep away from the boys. Principal Tarly made his way outside and talked animatedly with one of the little groups. When one of Loras’ students approached eagerly, wondering if he could sit in the drivers seat, Sansa noticed him.

It had been years since she saw Jon Snow, but he wasn’t a person who was easily forgotten. Where his peers kept their hair cropped short, his unruly dark curls hung to his shoulders, setting him apart from the rest. He lifted the little boy from Loras’ class into the front seat easily and leaned in to answer questions as he pointed to different buttons and switches in the cab of the firetruck. Soon all the students began to shift and separate, inspecting the truck on their own.

“I do love a man in uniform,” Arianne purred, an appreciative look on her face. Loras let out a booming laugh in response and she shot him a pointed glance, “Hey, you can’t judge me unless you can tell me you don’t love it too.”

Arianne teased everyone with such affection that it always felt harmless. “And would you look at that? That one has his eye on you.” She bumped Sansa’s elbow lightly.

Sansa shook her head, “No, it’s not like that. I just know him. He’s one of Robb’s friends. I haven’t seen him in years though, since Arya’s high school graduation.”

“Sansa?” Principal Tarly called waving her over.

“Go on teacher’s pet.” Arianne smiled, “see if they want to go to happy hour with us.” So Sansa wandered over to the principal, smiling when he introduced her to Pyp, and Grenn, and Edd.

“Jon’s around here somewhere too.”

“Oh, I’ve met Jon before.” Sansa answered quickly, ignoring the looks Sam’s friends gave her. “Old friends,” she explained, realizing how much easier it was then going into detail.

“You’d think he would have mentioned a girl like you.”

“Oh, I doubt Jon’s even given me more than fifteen seconds of thought since he saw me last.”

The principal took that as a clue to change the subject, talking proudly about the role Sansa played in the school’s safety week. He was still boasting about her when Jon wandered over lifting his hand in greeting. He still didn’t say much, she remembered that from before, opting instead to observe his friends as he chose his words and responses carefully. There was a melancholy to him that was unfamiliar. Sometimes his eyes looked far away and she wondered what made him so sad.

The sound of the dismissal bell startled her. Sansa bid her goodbyes to the small group of men quickly before rushing over to gather her class together again. Jon walked quickly to keep up with her. “We didn’t really get a chance to talk,” he said quietly.

Sansa looked over at him, “I guess we didn’t...I would love to but I need to get my class back to the room so we can start getting ready for pick-up.” She really did want to catch up, or get to know him in general. “We’re all going to a happy hour tonight, after school’s out. You could come if you want.”

She wondered if she should have invited Jon and his silence made her wish she could call the words back. “I’d love to, it’s just my girlfriend is expecting me after my shift.”

Girlfriend. That made sense. “Sure, it’s not a big deal. Maybe some other time.” Rickon was sitting at her desk, waiting for the first graders to leave so she could take him home. “It was really nice seeing you Jon.”

Jon tucked his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants and nodded, “Yeah, it was really good to see you too Sansa. I’ll, uh, I’ll see you around?” She nodded and watched as he ducked out of her classroom.

“Who was that?” Rickon asked when they walked out to her car.

“One of Robb’s friends, he works for the fire department.”

“Cool,” he tossed his bag into the back seat. “Can I drive home today?” It was the same question every day, and every day Sansa said the same thing.

“Absolutely not.”


	3. Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa didn't think Jon would be there, but that was a mistake on her part. He was Robb's best friend, of course he would be there and of course he would bring his gorgeous, leggy girlfriend. Sansa thought it would be fine, surely no one would pick up on the tension between them, but of course, this would be the one time she underestimates Joffrey's paranoia and observation skills.

Robb was home with his girlfriend, Jeyne, visiting for the weekend and Catelyn decided a party was in order since visits were rare. Sansa carried a plate of steak and chicken out to her father, Ned. She set it down on the shelf attached to the grill and kissed his cheek before returning to where Joffrey stood sipping a beer near the pool and talking to her brother. She picked up her strawberry mojito from the table and took a sip while talking to Jeyne, who was also an elementary school teacher, about her new class of first graders. Sansa was in the middle of a story about the Elmer’s glue incident when she saw Robb raise his arm in greeting and move around Joffrey, cutting their conversation short to stride purposefully across the yard.

Sansa turned to look at who would have so completely torn Robb’s attention away from her boyfriend. On the porch, next to a stunning redhead, was Jon, looking just as devastatingly handsome as he did at the fire safety day. She blinked and felt her smile falter before looking away from them. Once she took a deep breath and linked her arm with Joffrey’s, Sansa returned to her conversation with Jeyne.

“Who is that?” Joffrey asked, frowning slightly as he noticed the two new guests.

“Oh, Jon? He’s been Robb’s best friend since junior year of college,” Jeyne told him dismissively before launching into her own story about her third grade class.

Sansa heard a laugh come from the porch and glanced over her shoulder. Jon had Arya swept up in a hug. Arya was Jon’s biggest fan. He’d been the one of Robb’s friend who didn’t make Arya feel bad for being different from herself and indulged her pranks. Sansa had never been close with Jon as they grew up, but part of her wished that she could approach him so casually and hug him like her little sister. She kissed Joffrey’s cheek, trying to chase the thoughts away as she reminded herself of her boyfriend that was standing right there.

“I’m going to go and grab another drink. You need another beer?” she asked, hoping that playing the good girlfriend would keep her from thinking about someone else.

He took her arm from his and shook his head, seeming more interested in Jeyne’s story for now. She sighed and headed through the yard to the house. She smiled as she walked past Jon and the girl she assumed was his girlfriend and into the kitchen. She walked to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka and a small jug of cranberry juice. After rinsing out her tumbler, she pulled a taller glass down from a shelf. Sansa mixed her drink and was pouring it when she heard someone clear their throat. As her eyes lifted, she saw Jon standing across from her.

“Any beer hidden around here? I didn’t see any in the fridge or the cooler,” he told her, “Robb said you’d be the best one to ask.”

Sansa bit her lip and moved to the beer and wine cooling fridge underneath the cabinet and peeked inside, “Nope. They’ve drank all of it already. Something else sound good? A Jack and Coke maybe?” She turned to look at him.

“Yeah. That sounds great,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. She made the drink quickly and handed it over to him.

“So...is that the mysterious girlfriend?” she asked him.

“What?” he asked, his brow knitting together, “Oh...um, yeah. That’s Ygritte. She’s actually an EMT which is how I met her.”

Sansa nodded, “That’s cool. Must be nice to have someone who understands your job…”

“Yeah, yeah it is. Especially with the crazy hours,” he agreed, taking a sip of his drink.

“Well, I better get back out there. Joffrey is probably wondering where I am,” she smiled, “It’s nice to see you Jon.” Her fingers grazed his arm when she walked away. She stepped around him and made her way towards the backyard.

Sansa figured that would be the end of their interactions, moving back to Joff’s side sipping her drink. It was a mistake to think her brother wouldn’t invite Jon to join them and that his energetic girlfriend wouldn’t accompany him. It would have been better if Ygritte was rude or boring. But even as she spoke to their group, Sansa could feel that she might actually like this woman. She didn’t want to like her, but Jon’s girlfriend was funny and magnetic. Despite the dark mood stirring in her, Sansa kept a bright smile on her face. Joffrey, however, was not so intent on hiding his frustration. The biggest mistake was to underestimate his powers of observation. His hand tightened on her arm, pinching the slightest.

“Why are you looking at him like that?” he hissed.

“At who like what? Let me go,” their voices were hushed enough that not much attention was drawn their way.

“Don’t lie to me. I have eyes. You’ve been staring at him since he got here.”

“Are you talking about Jon?” she whispered loudly.

“Yes. You admit it. You’ve been staring at him all night,” he repeated.

“No I haven’t. I looked at him once when he got here and when Arya laughed. That’s hardly all night Joff.”

“He has a girlfriend and you have a boyfriend. I never would have taken you for a slut,” he growled. Sansa’s eyes widened and she took his wrist in her hand and pulled him away from the group.

“I am not a slut Joffrey Baratheon. You are overreacting to this and reading far too much into two glances at someone I’ve not seen hide nor hair of since Arya’s graduation,” Sansa said, anger seeping into her voice.

Joffrey opened his mouth and then closed it. He sighed heavily, “I’m leaving. We’ll talk about this at home.” He shoved his beer into her hand and left the house in a rage.

Sansa sighed and turned to look at the party, “Sorry. I’ll just be...going. Work in the morning and all.” She sighed again and made her way back into the house. She threw Joffrey’s beer in a trashcan, placed her glass in the sink, scooped her purse up from the kitchen counter and dug her keys out before leaving and heading back to her shared apartment with Joffrey. Tonight had not been pleasant and she wasn’t expecting it to get any better once she got back home.


	4. A Flame Snuffed Out, Another Set Aflame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa didn't know how she missed his appearances in her daily life, but now she was noticing Jon Snow everywhere.

Sansa wasn’t sure how she’d missed seeing Jon in all the places she went to on a regular basis. Since the party she’d seen Jon at her usual morning coffee place. Then at the bar she and her coworkers went to after work for drinks. He was even at the gym where she took her weekend yoga and pilates class. He was suddenly everywhere and it was maddening. Things with Joff had been uneasy since the party and their fight back at their apartment. She was beginning to regret the decision to move in with him. They had always been on uneasy ground with each other, but things had been going so well when he’d mentioned moving in together that she hadn’t given it much thought at all. She was beginning to think she might have needed to give it more thought than she had.

Sansa sat on the bar stool, alone in The Watch for the first time since she started working at Winterfell Elementary School a year ago. She sipped from the martini glass in front of her as music played and people buzzed around her. She normally didn’t go out without the company of at least Arianne if not the whole group, she was finding that drinking alone could be quite depressing, but she just couldn’t sit in the tense, uncomfortable cage that was her apartment for a moment longer. She finished off the vodka martini and motioned for another one before popping a mini-pretzel into her mouth from the bowl that sat within in reach.

The sound of yelling reached Sansa’s ears over the pop tune the bar was playing and she turned to find who it was coming from. Ygritte and Jon turned out to be the source of the argument, which surprised Sansa. They seemed like they meshed together well and her energetic and talkative personality complimented Jon’s solemn and easygoing nature. Ygritte was gesturing wildly and doing most of the yelling while Jon tried fruitlessly to get her to calm down and stop yelling. Sansa couldn’t hear what they were arguing about but whatever it was Ygritte was extremely...passionate about it. Just as suddenly as it began, the argument was over. Ygritte snatched her bag from the table and was currently storming out of the bar. Sansa’s eyes followed her through the crowd before returning to Jon shortly after the door slammed shut behind the paramedic.

Jon collapsed into his chair, putting his elbows on his knees. Sansa couldn’t see his face with his head lowered, but she could imagine the look that must be on his face. It was a familiar feeling, being torn between humiliation over the public fight and wanting to fix it as soon as possible. She bit the inside of her cheek and turned the options over in her head as she watched him. She could walk over there and attempt to comfort him or she could just continue to sit on her barstool and drink her third vodka martini of the night. The first option was something she would do for any friend, but Jon wasn’t just any friend. This was Jon Snow. Otherwise known as Jon “Complicator of Relationships” Snow. Her life and relationship had been easy and uncomplicated until he plopped himself back into her life. The second option was safer, but didn’t exactly fit into the type of person Sansa knew herself to be. She sighed and picked up her martini glass, lifting herself from the barstool.

She made her way through the crowd carefully, not wanting to spill her drink. Jon didn’t move from his position until she sat down across from him. His head lifted and his dark eyes widened at the sight of her.

“Hi,” she said softly, setting her glass down on the table on top of a napkin.

He swallowed hard and nodded slightly, “Hey.”

Sansa leaned forward, putting her elbow on the table and setting her chin in her hand.

“So, rescue any kittens from trees lately?”

He stared at her for a moment before letting out a short chuckle, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he sat back in his chair.

“Not in a few weeks, no,” Jon replied, looking at her gratefully.

She made a noise of displeasure, shaking her head.

“You disappoint me, Mr. Snow,” Sansa said, a light scolding tone in her voice. “Here I thought you were the hero of all helpless little kittens.”

“I will try harder to live up to your expectations, Miss Stark,” he said, his body relaxing more as they spoke.

Sansa grinned at him, trying to think of more that might keep his mind off what just happened.

“The boys in my class can’t stop talking about your visit. It’s been firetrucks and firehouses for weeks. All the boys want to grow up and be firefighters now,” she told him, taking a sip of her drink. “Some of the girls too which, trust me, is a big difference from their aspirations before meeting all of you.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, apparently you all put on quite the show for them. All of them think it is a particularly spectacular thing to be a firefighter,” she told him.

Jon chuckled again and ran his hand through his hair again.

She smiled, taking a sip of her drink, “Are you coming to Rickon’s birthday party? He’s really excited, there’s rumor of a car going around apparently, but I think that’s mostly Arya’s doing…anyway, he’s excited and it’s mostly just going to be a bunch of teenagers partying and me, Robb, and Arya supervising them since Mom and Dad had to go out of town to see Aunt Lysa.”

Jon was quiet as if he was turning the idea over in his head, “Yeah. I’ll be there. Besides you could always use another hand when teenagers are involved.”

Sansa laughed softly, “That we could. Rickon will love that you’re there. Arya will be thrilled too and I’m sure it’ll keep Robb from going too…”

“You know, you don’t have to do this.”

She looked at him, her head cocked to the side slightly, “Do what?”

“Try and distract me from the huge fight Ygritte and I just had in the middle of a crowded bar,” he said.

Sansa opened her mouth to protest, but it was exactly what she was doing. She was trying to distract him. She sighed and chewed her bottom lip.

“Sorry,” she murmured.

“Don’t be. I’m just letting you know, you don’t have to. I’ll be okay,” Jon reassured her.

She nodded and sat there for a moment trying to figure out something to say or do. A song she liked came on and she perked up a bit, “Would you want to maybe dance with me Jon?”

Reluctantly he agreed, following her out on the floor. When Jon started to move she began to understand his hesitation to follow her out on the floor. His rhythm was lacking, to put it kindly. She’d only known one person to be a less skilled dancer and that was her father. Jon’s shoulders moved a bit, but his feet stayed firmly planted on the ground.

Sansa didn’t mean to laugh at him, it had taken a fair amount of confidence to come out here at all after his fight with Ygritte. “What?” He frowned.

“Why don’t you move your feet? Or your hips?” She stopped moving and made to move closer to him.

“I don’t… that’s just never how I danced,” He shrugged sheepishly.

Sansa smiled at him and shook her head, “Maybe we can work on that.”

Jon flushed at the thought of it and Sansa was sure that her cheeks held no small amount of redness as she stepped closer.

“Well, uh, I just mean that maybe…” she sighed heavily and her shoulders fell slightly.

Jon nodded, “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Maybe we should just go sit back down for now…” she suggested.

She turned and led the way back to the table. He followed behind her and sat down across from her again. They hadn’t been sitting down for five minutes when her phone vibrated against the wood table. She looked down and gave Jon an apologetic look before standing up and moving towards the front door. She stood nearly in the doorway and answered, “What Joffrey?”


	5. From the Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The buzz of her cell phone against the glass top coffee table broke through the blissful silence. She sat up slowly and picked it up, not bothering to see why it buzzed. She typed in her passcode and was shocked to see a message from Jon greet her when everything finished loading.

Sansa couldn’t take it anymore. She just couldn’t deal with the yelling and too hard grabbing and the caged feeling that overtook her whenever she and Joffrey were in the apartment together. He was leaving. There was no way she was moving out the apartment she’d decorated and worked hard on to get it just right. She placed the last of his bags beside the door and crossed her arms over her chest, “You’re leaving Joffrey. I am not leaving and I am certainly not living with you anymore.”

He huffed and opened his mouth and shut it quickly. He knew she wasn’t budging this time. He picked up his last two bags and lugged them out of the apartment, almost tripping once. She stifled a laugh and shut the door behind him before moving to the couch, plopping down, and tilting her head back to rest against soft throw pillows. She sighed and reveled in the silence that hadn’t reached her ears save when she slept since the party her mom threw for Robb and Jeyne. The buzz of her cell phone against the glass top coffee table broke through the blissful silence. She sat up slowly and picked it up, not bothering to see why it buzzed. She typed in her passcode and was shocked to see a message from Jon greet her when everything finished loading.

 _Join me for a coffee? It’s not happy hour but can be just as good with the right company._   
_-J_

Sansa smiled softly and quickly text back.

 _Coffee sounds lovely. It’s too early for a vodka martini anyway_   
_~S_

Sansa picked herself up from the couch and went to her room. She looked over her yoga pants and tank top and bit her lip. She would definitely need to change. She moved to the now half empty closet and looked over her options. She grabbed a denim tunic dress off its hanger and a black pair of leggings from a shelf before picking up her favorite brown riding boots. She got dressed and moved to her dresser to figure out what to pair with her outfit. Her phone vibrated again.

 _Stormland Grind? 15 minutes?_   
_-J_

 _Sounds perfect. It’s not far from my apartment._   
_~S_

Sansa put on necklace with two tiny silver birds sitting on a branch and left in her simple silver studs. She pulled her hair up into an effortlessly perfect high ponytail and gave her lashes a neat coat of mascara before picking up her brown leather purse from the trunk at the foot of the bed. She grabbed her keys from the table by the door and locked the apartment behind herself.

Sansa stepped into the coffee shop, the bell chiming and scanned the people inside to see if Jon beat her there. She spotted him a moment before he spotted here and she made her way over to him.

“Hey, thanks for the coffee invite,” Sansa smiled.

Jon gave her a half-smile back, “It was no problem. It gave me a reason to get out of my apartment on my day off.”

Sansa looked at him for a short, awkward moment and motioned to the growing queue, “Should we get in line?”

“Oh yeah, of course,” Jon motioned for her to lead the way to the line.

Sansa took the spot in line behind a woman with a stroller who looked like she would need more than one cup of coffee to get through the rest of the weekend. She glanced over the menu and moved along in the line. Once she decided on a drink, she turned to Jon who was still focused on the menu, glasses on.

“So, any progress on that kitten saving quota?” Sansa asked.

“Sorry, what?” Jon asked, tearing his eyes away from the menu.

“Kittens? Save anymore since I saw you last?”

“Oh, uh, not from a tree, but there was one in a house fire we put out,” he told her. “Does that count?”

Sansa was quiet, a pensive look on her face, “I suppose it can, but only this once because I’m feeling generous.”

Jon chuckled, “That’s extremely kind of you.”

Soon it was their turn in line and Sansa ordered her drink. She reached into her purse to grab her wallet but Jon placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. “No, I asked you to come, I’ll pay.” He pulled out his wallet and ordered a black coffee. He paid for their drinks, took his coffee, and moved down with her to wait by the handoff plane for her drink.

His hand brushed against hers as they waited before finding its way into his coat pocket with a mumbled apology. Sansa blushed, busying herself with taking her drink from the platform. Even though they were close in height Jon led the way through the crowd and through the exit to sit at one of the tables outside. “It was a little loud in there,” he explained resting his elbows on the metal table.

“How have you been?” Sansa asked after taking a sip of her drink, watching his face fall into a thoughtful frown, “Really, you aren’t allowed to lie to me.”

“Ok,” he said after a moment. “I’m getting there.”

“Good,” her hand twitched on the base of the cup, instinctively wanting to reach for him in comfort.

“What about you, how’s it going with Joffrey?”

“It’s fine, well, we’re on a break, so I’m fine. I don’t know how he is right now, which is exactly what I want right now,” she told him, taking a drink of her honey sweetened latte. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked up at Jon, flicking her index and thumb nails together.

“I think that I can sympathize,” he said, giving her the full force of his stormy grey eyes.

She looked back at him, feeling like there could truly be someone who might understand the thoughts that went through her mind without judging her for them.

“No one ever understands why I let him come back. I know that Joffrey isn’t the greatest guy around, but he used to be so...so…” she sighed, shaking her head. “He used to be the sweetest guy and the most attentive boyfriend. I know he isn’t like that anymore but I can’t help but think that if I stick it out long enough, if we get through the rough patches…”

“He’ll go back to being that person,” Jon finished for her, nodding with his eyes downcast.

“Yeah,” Sansa breathed, looking down at her drink. “I know it’s stupid but it’s just something I can’t help but believe in. I’ve been with him for so long. I don’t want all of that to be a waste of time.”

She lifted her eyes slowly to see that he was staring back at her with understanding.

“It’s not stupid,” he assured her.

Sansa felt validated by his words.

“I just refuse to give up without a fight. I don’t think that makes me weak or silly, do you?”

Jon shook his head with a determined look on his face.

“Those are two words that I would never use to describe you, Sansa. You are anything but weak and silly,” he said honestly.

She smiled, trying to think of any way to tell him the depth of gratitude that she felt at his honest words.

“You are truly a great man, Jon Snow,” Sansa said, unable to keep herself from reaching out to squeeze his hand in hers this time. “I’m sorry that I’m just now getting to know that.”

He gave her a smile in return, making his face light up more than usual. Sansa liked the look that happiness gave him.

“Maybe we should do this more often, get to know each other, I mean,” Jon suggested, giving her hand a gentle press in his in return.

She nodded in agreement.

“I would like that,” Sansa replied before taking another drink of her coffee.


	6. Smoke Alarms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jon begins to question the precarious situation he's gotten himself into.

Robb wasn’t in town often but when he was Jon made it a priority to go out and grab a drink with him before he left town. This time was no different. Jon and Robb sat at a table with a good view of the soccer games drinking beers with a plate of wings and nachos in front of them. The rival team scored and both men groaned. Robb took a drink of his beer and turned to Jon.

“I saw Sansa on my way out of Mom and Dad’s, she was dropping Rickon off. She seemed...happy,” he started, taking another drink of his beer, “which is weird considering she and Joffrey just broke up. Usually that means she mopes around, sometimes she’ll get out of her sweatpants to go to teach.”

Jon nodded, “Oh yeah? Well that’s good that she’s not moping around like she would normally…”

Robb raised an eyebrow at his friend, “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about why she’s so happy? Would you?”

Jon shrugged, “I don’t know. I mean, we’ve been grabbing coffee occasionally, it’s nice to have a reason to get out of the house.”

“So you’re saying my little sister is in a better mood post-break-up because you two have been grabbing coffee?” he asked.

“I mean, I guess. Maybe it’s good for her to have a distraction just as much as it’s good for me to have one,” Jon told him.

Robb gave him a skeptical look and turned back to the soccer game like the conversation wasn’t awkward or loaded with underlying questions.

Jon sighed and took a long drink of his beer. What were he and Sansa doing? Was he trying to use her as a rebound? Was she trying to use him as one? Should he even be spending this much time with a woman after his and Ygritte’s sudden break up?

To make matters worse, Sansa was his best friend’s little sister. Robb would would kill him if he ever figured out that Jon had what could probably be considered feelings for Sansa. He looked over at his best friend and sighed. The Starks were family and he’d been pretty absent since Arya’s graduation from high school, but they meant a lot to him. It was important that he not risk anything to mess that up and if things between he and Sansa went anywhere beyond what it was now and then went belly up, this entire relationship he’s spent years solidifying with the Starks would be done for and he would lose important people.

His phone went off, and at a quick glance he realized it was Sansa. He’d respond later.

Later turned into that night, after the game when he was laying in his bed. _Hey, Robb mentioned you guys were hanging out. Hope you’re having a nice time!_ And since he couldn’t think of a response he tapped the lock button and set it aside. It was late anyway, she had to work in the morning.

The next day at work Jon, stared at his phone for a long while trying to figure out something to text back to her. He sighed and put his phone in his locker and headed down to the gym to distract himself. He opened his locker after the gym and after he’d been out on one call, he pulled his phone from the shelf and another text was there.

_Hey, I was just wondering if you wanted to do lunch this weekend? Hope your day is going well. Be safe out there._

Jon swallowed hard. He stared at his phone for too long before putting it back into his locker and slamming the door shut. He was contemplating going to the gym again when the alarm sounded to another announce another fire call. Maybe there was a god afterall.

Jon got home from work late that night and took Ghost out for a much needed walk. He thought about what he was doing and what was happening with Sansa for much of the walk. He ran her texts over in his mind and sighed heavily. This had to stop now. There was no way this was anything more than a potential rebound for her and she would recover. Besides, he was fresh out of a break-up and there was no way to insure that he this wasn’t the same thing for him. Ending it would be the best way to handle it.

Jon sat down on the couch after his walk with Ghost, the big white dog’s head in his lap and finally text Sansa back

_We need to talk._


	7. Aftershock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath (n.) the effect, result, or repercussion of an event; aftermath; consequence.

It took all of two weeks for Sansa to get back together with Joffrey. After she and Jon talked, things were done and Joffrey’d come crawling back from whatever girl he’d been with during their time apart and she’d taken him back. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly it was that went wrong. Whatever it was, it’s over now and she was back with Joffrey and it was...fine.

Joffrey was moved back into the apartment within hours which was funny considering the days it took her to get his things moved out. Soon they were back into their routine. She would come home after teaching and wrangling children all day and hurry to make dinner before Joffrey got home from work or whatever it was he was doing. She got up earlier to make sure she got in her yoga, showered, put on her make-up and fix coffee before Joffrey woke up. The weekends were full of making sure Joffrey had breakfast, lunch and dinner before he even had a chance to ask her where the meal was.

Sansa felt at times like she never had a minute to rest. She felt like she was always trying to make sure Joffrey was happy that she forgot about herself. He didn’t like Arianne so she couldn’t go to happy hours, but he always ended up drunk with Janos Slynt even though Sansa loathed the man. Everything had to be just right, otherwise Joff would be upset, and that included her things, her makeup, and her clothes.

Jon didn’t worry about things like that.

She couldn’t think like that though. Whatever that was it was over, and she would keep telling herself that until it sank in. She was happy with Joff before, and she would be happy again. Dwelling on what could have been wouldn’t change things. She also didn’t have the energy to waste on dwelling on what happened with Jon.

Sansa stood barefoot in the kitchen, chopping vegetables for a salad when the front door slammed closed. Joffrey was home early. She cursed under her breath. Dinner wasn’t ready and Joffrey was going to be pissed. She’d had a meeting with a parent after class so she was late getting home and therefore late getting dinner started. Joffrey made his way through the apartment and into the tiny kitchen and slamming his briefcase down on the counter, his eyes narrowed, “Why isn’t dinner done?” he asked gruffly.

“I had a meeting with a parent after school, Joff. I couldn’t do anything about it. Dinner is just going to have to be a little bit later tonight,” Sansa explained cooly, trying not to let his tone affect her too much.

Joffrey scoffed and yanked at his tie. She could hardly believe he was this angry about dinner not being done yet. There was a perfectly good reason and he knew about it before hand.

“Joff, you knew I had this meeting scheduled. I told you dinner might be later tonight,” she told him.

He looked at her, his eyes still narrowed, “Frankly, I don’t give a shit Sansa. I’ve been working all day and I wanted to come home and eat dinner but no. I have to wait because your dumbass can’t get dinner ready on time.”

“I’m sorry Joff, but this meeting was extremely important and dinner will be ready in just a couple minutes so…” Sansa winced as one of the plates she’d set on the island went flying, crashing into the cabinet above her head. It shattered, scattering pieces all over the floor and counter, even into the salad bowl. She stepped forward to get closer to Joffrey and cursed under her breath when she stepped on a large piece of the plate. She picked her foot up and carefully pried the piece from her foot before leaning against the counter and using the towel over her shoulder to hold pressure on it.

Forty-five minutes later, Sansa was sitting on a bed in the Emergency Room, waiting to get her stitches. She already had some pain medication in her system and was feeling okay. For now her foot was cleaned and wrapped. She played with the hem of her dress and glanced over at Joffrey, who was texting furiously on his phone. She wasn’t entirely sure who he was texting but the medication made her less inclined to care.

The doctor stitched Sansa up and sent her home with crutches and orders that she was to rest and stay off her feet for the next week. For a fleeting second she thought Joff would take responsibility for the accident, and offer to help her out. A stupid thought really because as soon as they got home he changed his clothes and went back out the door.

“Where are you going?” She knew she shouldn’t be at home by herself under the influence of the medication, not to mention the difficulty she had moving.

“Out.”

Sansa started to argue but couldn’t find the energy. She sighed and crutched to the bedroom. She fumbled into shorts and a tank top before climbing into the bed. She lay on her back with her foot propped up and sighed softly. Is this what it was really supposed to be like? Is this what it was like before? Had Joffrey always been this quick to anger?

She sighed again, her thoughts drifting to Jon. She wondered if his relationship, the one that just ended was like this; or if it was easy like things were between the two of them. She didn’t have to worry about what she wore with Jon, or how her hair fell. He didn’t care about that. Everything that was vital to a functioning relationship with Joffrey, hadn’t mattered to Jon. Were relationships meant to be easy? Or was Joffrey right, did dinner on the table matter?

Sansa wasn’t sure anymore.


	8. Handle with Caution

He could feel the bass in the club rumble in his chest, and not for the first time wondered why he agreed to join Robb. It was crowded too, packed shoulder to shoulder. Val clapped him on the back, “Loosen up Snow! It’s a party.”

 _Whatever_ this _is, it can’t happen._

“Come on let’s find a table.” Robb shouted over the noise. “Then we’re going to get some drinks, and you are going to get over your break-up for good.” He said as much a month ago when they’d watched the soccer game at that bar. It was better this way, for Robb to think it was just the break-up hitting him hard. Maybe he was still reeling from it, but coupled with cutting ties with Sansa made him feel more anguish. It was selfish, because really it was better for everyone.

He gave too much. That’s what Ygritte said, he gave too much and expected the same in return. He would have put his life on-hold if she asked, and that scared her. It scared him as well. At least with his friendship with Robb was equal, and Val, and Grenn, and Pyp, and Sam. At least he could balance those.

They found an empty table after some work. Val brought a round of colorful drinks with Pyp tagging along behind carrying a bucket of beers. “To fresh starts!” Robb cried, and while the shot burned going down, Sam’s words hurt worse.

“Your sister’s back with her ex.” He said, “Arianne was complaining that they don’t go out for drinks anymore, said it only happens when they first get back together.” Robb shook his head resignedly.

“She could do better.” Better than Joffrey. Better than Jon.

Jon sighed and glanced around. Standing near the bar was Joffrey. He was sipping from a tumbler and after the realization of who it was sunk in, Jon felt his stomach twist with nerves. If Joffrey was here, Sansa was almost assuredly with him. He steeled himself and scanned the bar around Joffrey for Sansa, but couldn’t catch sight of her distinct auburn hair.

Jon didn’t see Sansa and for several moments, the knot in his stomach persisted. Then he saw Joffrey’s date. Margaery Tyrell. She was supposed to be Sansa’s best friend. The knot that twisted itself in his stomach this time wasn’t because of nerves. Where was she? Why were Joffrey and Margaery here together without Sansa? Hadn’t Sansa and Joffrey just gotten back together?

Jon had the urge to get up and make his way over to where Joffrey and Margaery were standing, but he knew if he did that, Robb would follow and that would not end well. He sighed heavily and took a long drink of his beer. “Only you would find a way to mope about at a club like this,” Val teased.

“Not moping. This isn’t my kind of bar. I’d much rather be at The Wall,” Jon told Val.

Robb raised an eyebrow at him. “How long are you going to let yourself be miserable over Ygritte? Your relationship was a complete fucking mess. You seemed like you were doing okay and now it’s like the break-up happened yesterday. What the hell is going on with you?”

“It’s just not easy being without her,” he told Robb.

He didn’t specify which her that he meant. Jon knew that he should have felt guilty that it was Sansa, and not Ygritte, that he was missing so much. He just couldn’t bring himself to be guilty for feeling the way he did. Robb seemed to accept his answer and turned to talk to Grenn about some car that he was rebuilding. Jon listened to his friends and managed to keep his eyes from the bar for awhile, but eventually his attention moved back to the bar. He found Joffrey and Margaery just in time to see her hand go to his hair and pull him in for a kiss. Joffrey’s hand cradled her hip, pulling her closer as the kiss deepened maybe a little too much even for the bar. Fury twisted in Jon’s stomach. Who in the hell did Joffrey think he was? What kind of shit person was Margaery to do this to her supposed best friend? Jon grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair and stormed out of the bar, not hearing his friends concern over his own anger.

Jon found himself knocking hard on the oak door of Sansa’s apartment and running a hand through his hair compulsively. He had to tell her about what he saw. She deserved better. She needed to know. The door opened and Sansa appeared in the doorway, leaning heavily on her crutches.

“Jon? What, what are you doing here at...” she asked, “At 2:30 in the morning?”

Jon’s eyes widened as he took in the crutches and bandaged foot. “What the hell happened Sansa?” he asked.

She sighed and opened the door wide, “Come in.” She led him into the living room and plopped down in a very un-Sansa like way before setting her crutches down.

“Joff broke a plate and I was barefoot and stepped on a rather large chunk of plate,” she explained. “It looks worse than it really is, I swear. I go back in about two weeks to get the stitches out and then I’ll be fine.”

“How did he break a plate?” Jon asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Jon watched Sansa’s face as he waited for her answer. She sat there for a few long, uncomfortable minutes with a pensive look on her face. “It fell when he put his briefcase on the counter, it’s not a big deal, Jon. Like I said, I’ll be fine. Why are you here?”

Why was he there? It was a valid question. He wanted to tell her that her boyfriend was cheating on her. That her best friend didn’t deserve the praise. That he knew she was lying about what really happened to her foot. It was on the tip of his tongue but then would she believe him? How was it his business? They weren’t even friends anymore.

“Jon? It’s late, I’ve been up all day, and my foot’s starting to ache can you just say what you came here to say?” Sansa said, resting her head against the chair arm.

She let him have the couch while she sat in the single chair. The reason behind their distance was not lost on him. Sansa was mad at him, like she had every right to be. Jon shouldn’t have come back. You shouldn’t have left in the first place, an annoying voice said in the back of his mind. He shook it off, standing up from the couch.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

Sansa sat up quickly, an accusing look in her eyes.

“That’s not fair. You don’t get to come here with sad eyes and secrets. This was your decision Jon, not mine.”

“I know.” he sighed with a frown. “I just…be safe Sansa. Really, take care of yourself.”

Jon felt her eyes on his back as he turned to walk towards her door. He knew that if he looked back, her face would hold confusion and sadness. His face probably didn’t look much different. He’d taken himself out of her life once, but he just thought the second time would hurt less.


	9. Halfway There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sansa’s heart started to race. How was she supposed to act if he came along?

“Thank you for coming with me,” Sansa leaned into her brother’s shoulder while they waited for the doctor.

“What are big brothers for?” Robb nudged her playfully.

“From what I gathered during our childhood? Relentless teasing,” Sansa retorted.

“That too, of course,” Robb agreed. “How’ve you been besides this? After the break-up?”

“I shouldn't have taken him back to begin with,” Sansa sighed. “I don’t think I was in the right mindset to be in any relationship.”

“Any relationship? What do you mean?” he asked. “Was there someone between the break-up and you two getting back together?”

Not exactly, she wanted to say. But he would jump to conclusions, besides it was very clear that Jon considered them friends. She’d gotten too attached, and that was why he decided that he had to stop hanging out with her in general. He was just too nice to say so.

“No, just...too many things changed too fast at once. I didn’t give myself any time before taking him back,” she said, mostly telling the truth. “But that’s fine now, I’m taking a break from dating. I need to remember who I am without someone else.”

“I was worried about you San,” Robb told her. “I never liked him. He always made me feel like I needed to always be that protective big brother I so rarely am.”

Sansa smiled, feeling grateful towards him. He really was a good big brother.

“You don’t have to worry anymore, that was the last time,” she promised as the door opened.

The doctor greeted the siblings, starting by examining her foot and the stitches. When he applied a bit of topical numbing cream, Robb moved to her side. Sansa didn’t need to hold his hand but it still felt nice to have him there helping to distract her by cracking bad jokes that made her laugh. Once the stitches were removed and her foot was bandaged again just for hygienic reasons, the doctor talked to her for a few moments about keeping an eye out for any issues that might result from the shard of plate being in her foot and then let her leave.

“Do you want to do lunch?” Robb asked Sansa, walking with her towards his car. She shrugged in response when he opened the door for her. She had the day off of school so she could do whatever she wanted. “Could I invite Jon too? I know you guys were hanging out with each other, and I’m a little worried about him too.”

Sansa slipped into the passenger side of the car and smoothed the skirt of her sundress, “Oh, yeah. Sure. I don’t mind.”

Robb smiled at his younger sister in thanks, picking up his phone to call Jon. “Hey are you busy?”

Sansa’s heart started to race. How was she supposed to act if he came along? Robb sounded exasperated when he spoke, shaking his head.

“Iron Chef marathons don’t count as busy,” Jon had every right to glower at her over the course of lunch, she had kicked him out of her apartment. “Why don’t you get into some real clothes and meet me and Sansa for lunch?”

After a few moments, Robb’s face fell, “Jon, come on you just said you aren’t busy.”

Sansa watched her brother roll his eyes, feeling her heart sink. Why was she disappointed that he wasn’t coming? She just said that she was okay with being alone for a while. Why did she want to see Jon?

“While I doubt the station actually called you in in the last five seconds I guess I’ll let it slide. But you’re still coming to help me on Friday.”

There was silence on the other end, but her heart continued to pound like Jon would change his mind.

“Bye.” Robb said shortly, sounding frustrated with his best friend before he hung up the phone.

“So I guess it’s just us for lunch?” Sansa asked, looking at her brother.

He sighed, glancing over at her.

“Yeah. It’s just us.”

Sansa nodded and turned to look out the window as Robb pulled out of the parking space. She played idly with the pearl pendant on her necklace as she watched the trees pass by her. Robb pulled his car into the parking lot of her favorite restaurant, Shae’s Cafe.

Robb and Sansa stepped inside and were led to a table. Sansa’s usual server, Ros, came to the table and took their drink order before leaving them to look at the menus.

“You know, Jon didn’t really tell me how you two started grabbing coffee together,” Robb said, looking up from the menu. Sansa was picking at the appetizer Ros had brought. Sansa always got the same one every time she came.

Sansa shrugged, “I guess it just kind of happened. I was at The Watch the night he and Ygritte broke up and we talked then and realized we didn’t really know anything about each other despite all the years we’ve known each other. He texted me the day Joffrey moved out and we grabbed coffee and it just became a routine I guess.”

“So you two worked through your break-ups together?”

“I guess, it was just kind of nice to have someone I could count on.” Sansa focused on her water. “I don’t usually get that from guys, well besides my brothers.”

“It’s nice that it helped you.” Robb agreed. “I wish he would recover from his break up as well.”

“How do you know he isn’t?” Sansa asked.

“He’s been moping and he blew us off for Iron Chef marathons and made up a fire call to get me off his back. He’s not recovered,” Robb told her.

Sansa shrugged, “Maybe he’s not, but weren’t they together for awhile?”

Robb sighed, “Yeah, but...it’s like I told Jon, they were a fucking mess even when they were good and I just...I’m concerned Sansa. Sure, Jon’s solemn and not exactly a ball of energy but he’s not mopey.”

Sansa nodded and struggled to find something to say. She wasn’t sure why Jon was being so, to quote her brother, mopey. He had seemed to be dealing with the end of his and Ygritte’s relationship really well when they’d gotten together last before their talk. She had no earthly idea why he’d done such a backpedal.

Ros came to the table and Sansa ordered her normal caesar salad and a bowl of Shae’s soup of the day while Robb ordered a burger and onion rings. When Ros left, Robb turned to her, “Jon hasn’t said anything to you, has he? About why he’s gone back to moping?”

“I haven’t talked to him in a while actually,” Sansa said.

“Why not?” Robb asked.

Sansa shrugged, “We just haven’t. Not since Joffrey and I got back together. You know how Joff is…”

“Right,” Robb nodded glowering at the thought of Joffrey. “Well if you hear anything, you know from Jon.”

“You’ll be the first to know.”


	10. Cease Fire

The children in Sansa’s class decided that they wanted to thank the firefighters for coming to show them the “cool” firetruck and for spending time with them. Lots of ideas had been thrown around like cards or construction paper firetrucks with glitter, but in the end the usually quiet girl who sat in one of the farthest desks from Sansa’s own came up with the winning idea. They’d decided on a banner that was decorated with their names in scrawling, messy handwriting and pictures of butterflies, puppies, suns, and of course firetrucks with a few dalmatians thrown in. The kids made her promise to personally deliver it and get a picture with the guys at the station. She’d agreed of course because she couldn’t say no to their cute faces and pleading voices. Only after she realized that meant seeing Jon did her stomach drop and she regret agreeing to go give them this banner by herself.

Sansa parked her silver Jetta outside the firehouse in the guest parking, the banner neatly folded, but not creased in her backseat. She retrieved it and locked her car before making her way up to the firehouse. She moved around towards the back where the door to the dorms and kitchen were. She knocked and waited for someone to answer the door. Grenn pulled open the door and she smiled lightly.

“Hello Sansa,” Grenn said, leaning against the door jamb. “What can I do for you today?”

Sansa held up the creation, “I came to give you all a banner my class made to thank you for coming. They insisted that I deliver it myself and get a picture with the firefighters posing in front of it.”

He stepped aside, beckoning for her to come in.

“Let’s see it,” Grenn said.

Sansa handed one end to him and they unrolled it. He let out a laugh, looking over the glitter and paint covered paper before tracing his fingers over one of the firetrucks.

“Maybe we can hang it up on one of our trucks,” he suggested, leading her into the garage.

“That sounds great, thank you so much,” Sansa said appreciatively.

When Grenn hollered at Pyp to come over and help, she stepped back and watched. The other firefighters came over and greeted her, happily agreeing to take the picture for her class. When she heard something drop to the ground behind her, Sansa winced, knowing exactly who it had to be. She turned around hesitantly, catching sight of Jon standing in the doorway with a stunned expression, an empty water bottle at his feet. Sansa tried to sort out her thoughts long enough to explain why she was there but all of her words died on her lips.

“Get over here, Jon,” Pyp said with a grin. “We could use your surly face in the picture. It makes the rest of us look radiant.”

The others laughed as Jon walked forward slowly.

“It’s for my class,” Sansa mumbled, looking down at her shoes.

“Okay,” he said simply, moving to stand with his coworkers.

She frowned at his curt reply but didn’t say anything else. Sansa tried to concentrate, organizing the men how she wanted them before pulling her camera out of her purse. After counting down, she took several pictures.

“Thanks guys. My class will love it,” Sansa said with a smile, turning her camera off to put it away.

“Wait, shouldn’t you be in one?” Grenn spoke up.

She looked at him with a surprised expression.

“Yeah, you were a big part of the reason we were there,” Pyp agreed. “You can take my place.”

She swallowed hard as he walked towards her, holding his hand out for the camera. His place was right beside Jon.

“Okay,” she found herself agreeing, moving slowly towards the group.

Sansa fitted herself between Jon and Dolorous Edd, who wore a grim expression that could rival Jon’s.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, waiting for Pyp to figure out how to work her camera.

Jon hesitated, knowing that she was speaking to him.

“For what?” he finally said.

She shrugged, playing with a lock of her hair nervously.

“For coming here. My class insisted or I wouldn’t have bothered you.”

He sighed, his breath washing over her neck. She shivered, biting her lip.

“You’re never a bother, Sansa,” Jon assured her.

Her eyes widened at his words and the warmth in his voice when he spoke them.

“Everyone smile!” Pyp said loudly, finally aiming the camera at them.

Sansa forced a smile onto her face as she tried to figure out what Jon meant. Once the pictures were taken, she stood there for a moment, still deep in thought.

“Sansa?” she heard Jon say.

When his hand pressed to her lower back, she glanced over at him.

“Yeah?” she said, unable to concentrate on anything except for his touch, even though it was through her clothing.

Jon nodded in Pyp’s direction where he was holding out the camera.

“Thanks,” she said, snapping out of it as she hurried forward.

Sansa hesitated before she put it away, looking at Jon once more.

“If you guys have a computer, I can put the pictures on there so that you can have them too,” she suggested.

Jon nodded in agreement, gesturing for her to follow him. They wound up in an office at the back of the station. Sansa sat in the chair as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. She tried to concentrate on what she was doing but it was hard when his gaze was on her. As the pictures uploaded, she looked up at him.

“What were you going to tell me that night?” the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.

He paled slightly, suddenly looking anywhere but at her.

“I know that it has something to do with Joffrey. I’m pretty perceptive even when I’m high on medication,” Sansa pointed out.

“It’s nothing,” Jon tried to brush it off.

She sighed, feeling like they were still getting nowhere.

“I broke up with him, Jon,” Sansa admitted, causing his gaze to return to her. “For good this time. So whatever you have to tell me, it doesn’t matter.”

He didn’t reply for a few moments, clearly trying to think of what to say.

“You saw him with someone, didn’t you?”

Jon looked even more surprised at her words and his reaction confirmed her suspicions.

“It wouldn’t be the first time. I was always just stupid enough to ignore it,” Sansa said quietly, leaning over the desk to put her head in her hands.

Part of her wanted to ask who he was with, but the rest of her was too afraid to know the answer.

“You’re not stupid,” Jon said.

She could tell that he was closer to her. Sansa lifted her head, looking into his eyes.

“You were going to tell me the truth. Why didn’t you?” she asked.

Jon sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I didn’t want to hurt you,” he admitted.

Sansa stared at him for a moment before smiling slightly, shaking her head. At that moment, the computer made a noise to tell her that the pictures were uploaded. Sansa retrieved her memory card and put it back in the camera. When she stood, she stepped closer to Jon.

“I don’t like this, Jon. I don’t like you avoiding me and me avoiding you. We’re adults and we can deal with this, whatever it is, maturely.”

He nodded in agreement and she felt relieved, like a burden was lifted from her shoulders.

“I’ll see you at Rickon’s birthday party then?” Sansa asked, refusing to admit that she was hoping he would say yes.

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” Jon answered.

She smiled at him, feeling a swell of happiness when he smiled back at her. Sansa started to leave the office but hesitated, turning back towards him. In a sudden decision, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She hugged him quickly, barely giving him enough time to respond before pulling away.

“What was that for?” Jon asked, clearly taken aback by the embrace.

“For not wanting to hurt me,” Sansa replied, stepping away from him. “It’s been a while since anyone has done that for me.”

As she turned to leave the office, she could have sworn that she saw a grin on his face.


	11. Armistice

Rickon’s birthday party was a raucous event. He’d invited nearly all of his friends from his tenth grade class. Sansa refilled a bowl of chips and checked on the cup situation before making her way back to the kitchen. She glanced in the oven to check on the finger foods Rickon had insisted she make for the party. She closed it and sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. Pulling her hair up into a high ponytail, she closed her eyes and savoured the empty kitchen.

Sansa’s eyes popped open when she heard her brother’s laugh over the noise of the party. Jon and Robb were making their way into the kitchen with bags of soda in their hands. Sansa reached out and snagged a bag from Robb’s hand, opening the fridge to put them inside. When she glanced up at her brother and Jon, she nervously bit the inside of her cheek. They hadn’t really talked since she went to the firehouse to get the picture for her class.

“Everything under control?” Robb asked shutting the door.

“You’re probably just in time for a Mountain Dew high, but other than that, yeah. Everything’s fine.” Robb was craning his neck to see into the living room. “I did a round about ten minutes ago, right after you guys left. It’s about time for another.”

Robb chuckled, “Right. Can’t let the teenagers get too rowdy.”

He turned and left the kitchen to go check on the teenagers in the living room. Sansa turned to the oven and leaned down to pull a cookie sheet of finger foods out of the oven. She set them on the stovetop and turned to go look for a serving platter, reaching up for it. Once it was set on the counter, she turned around and tilted her head slightly when she noticed Jon still in the kitchen with her.

“Hi,” she finally said, her voice soft.

“Hey,” he nodded back at her, his hands shoved in his pockets.

The silence stretched on again until she reached out and picked up the finger foods.

“I’d better get these in there before they start revolting against Robb,” Sansa said, using the food as an excuse to escape the tense atmosphere.

“Yeah,” Jon said simply, looking as uncomfortable as she felt.

She hurried out of the kitchen, wincing at the awkward interaction as she presented the food to Rickon and his friends. The party could have not ended quickly enough. She spent a majority of the time avoiding eye contact with Jon and trying to keep the teenage boys amused. When it was finally all over with, she escaped to the backyard with a sigh of relief, leaving Robb with the job of getting Rickon’s friends to their families as they came to pick them up.

Sansa chewed on her lower lip as she sat on the porch swing, kicking her legs back and forth. As much as she loved that her little brother had a good time, it was exhausting to watch over so many adolescent boys. Jon’s presence, as much as she hated to admit it, didn’t make anything easier. Sansa despised having to walk on eggshells around him now. She didn’t want to make him run away again but she missed how they used to be.

Before, they wouldn’t even exchange pleasantries before they got right down to talking about whatever was going on. She missed hearing his stories about what happened during his shifts and telling him what crazy thing happened with one of her students. Sansa wanted to have their easy relationship back, but she was terrified of ruining it all. There wasn’t much to ruin, since their short conversations were stilted and awkward until one or both of them walked away. Sansa’s head turned when she heard the back door opened.

Jon looked around as he stepped out, catching sight of her. He hesitated for a moment, clearly wondering if he should turn around and walk back inside or stay out there with her. She felt sad over the fact that he had to think about it at all. Sansa decided to throw all caution to the wind, scooting over on the swing to make room for him.

“I won’t bite,” she assured him, gesturing for him to sit.

He walked towards her slowly, sitting down beside her so that only a few inches separated them.

“It was a good party,” Jon said quietly, looking down at his lap.

“Yeah,” Sansa nodded simply, wincing at the tense air that surrounded them.

They were both quiet for a full minute, each passing second making the silence more and more cringeworthy. Finally, she sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped.

“I’m so tired of this,” Sansa said bluntly.

Screw all of her worries about driving him away. There was a wedge between them and until it was resolved, they weren’t going to get anywhere with whatever semblance of a friendship that they had. She felt Jon’s eyes on her face and knew that he was frowning out of confusion, wondering exactly what she meant by her words. Sansa did not look back at him, knowing that she would lose her nerve if she looked into his dark grey eyes.

“It used to be easy, talking to you. I never had to worry about saying the right thing. I just said what I was thinking and you did too,” she ranted, knowing that she was probably scaring him off with every word that she spoke. “I miss that. I miss having those talks with you because for the first time in years, I could actually tell someone what was on my mind without worrying about them going off and telling someone else or getting pissed off when I said something they didn’t agree with. I miss you, Jon. I’ve missed you for months.”

She was breathing heavily by the end of her short rant, waiting for him to walk off without another word. Instead, he took her by surprise with his next words.

“I miss it too,” Jon admitted quietly.

Sansa finally looked over at him with wide eyes. He was staring back at her, unflinching as their gazes met.

“I miss you,” he murmured.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for just a moment before facing forward again.

“What happens now?” Sansa wondered aloud.

They both considered her question, trying to figure out where they went from here.

“Do you want to go for a drink at The Watch tomorrow night?” Jon finally asked.

She felt relief flooding through her, a small smile tugging at her lips. Sansa carefully laid her head on his shoulder.

“I would like that,” she replied.

He relaxed beneath her, hesitating for just a moment before he leaned his head onto hers.

“Me too,” Jon agreed.


	12. Rekindling Pt. 1

Jon was staring into his closet when there was a knock on the open door. He turned to see who it was. Grenn was standing in the doorway, “Something interesting in your closet Snow?”

“No. What’s going on?” Jon asked.

“I was going to head to the gym and thought you might come with to spot for me and I could spot for you,” Grenn told him, leaning against the door jamb.

Jon shook his head, “No man. Sorry. I’m actually heading out to The Watch tonight.”

Grenn raised an eyebrow at him, “The Watch? By yourself?”

“Well, not by myself, but yeah, I’m going to The Watch,” Jon told him, shrugging into a button down shirt and rolling the sleeves up to just below his elbows.

“If you’re not going by yourself, who are you going with? Dolorous Edd?” Grenn asked, an incredulous tone in his voice.

Jon mumbled and Grenn leaned in, “Sorry, what?” Jon turned to Grenn and ran a hand nervously over his hair before answering him again.

“No, I’m meeting Sansa there,” Jon told him. He walked towards his dresser to dig around for his watch.

Grenn looked at him, disbelief clear on his face, “Sansa? Sansa Stark? As in your best friend’s younger sister? As in the first grade teacher who was here to get a picture with us for her students and who you barely talked to?”

Jon sighed, “Yes Grenn, that Sansa.” He closed the drawer he was digging around in and opened the other. He pushed a few things aside and found the watch.

“So you’re going on a date with Sansa?” Grenn raised an eyebrow.

Jon shook his head, “No, it’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

Grenn scoffed, “So you’re just friends with one of the most gorgeous women I’ve seen in a long time? You’re telling me that you, Jon Snow, have no feelings for and are not attracted to Sansa Stark whatsoever?”

“Well, of course she’s gorgeous. I know that, but really, we’re just friends and that’s it. It’s not a date, it’s just friends hanging out, catching up and getting drinks,” Jon insisted. He fumbled with the clasp of his watch a few times before finally getting it clasped.

“I honestly don’t get why you wouldn’t want it to be a date. She’s gorgeous, intelligent, kind, and that’s more than enough reason for any guy to kill to go on a date with her,” Grenn told him. He shook his head, “Whatever man. I’ll see you later.”

Grenn pushed off the door jamb and made his way towards the gym, leaving Jon by himself.

Jon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Why was he so insistent on it not being a date? Grenn was right. Sansa was gorgeous, intelligent, kind and any man in his right mind would kill to go on a date with a girl like her. That was true, but he and Sansa were just friends. That’s all they were.

If all that was true, why did he feel so nervous and why did he get so defensive when Grenn suggested otherwise? Jon shook his head. It was normal to be nervous, things had been awkward between he and Sansa for weeks and now they would be purposefully spending time together. Anyone would be nervous. He moved toward his bed and picked his phone up from where it lay on one of his pillows, sticking it into his front pocket. He grabbed his wallet from the bedside table and stuck it into his left back pocket. He glanced at his watch. He could leave now and make it there in time to get a table before Sansa got to the bar. He grabbed his worn-in leather jacket from the back of the door, slipping it on as he walked out of his room and down the stairs.

Jon sat at a table nursing a beer waiting for Sansa to get there. He checked his watch and looked up to the door to see if she was there yet. He felt a smile run across his face and his nervousness fade as he saw her walk through the door with a smile on her face and begin to search the room for him. He raised his hand to get her attention and felt his stomach twist with nervousness again briefly as her smile brightened and she waved once she spotted him. Sometimes it was baffling how happy he felt whenever she got where they were meeting, when she caught sight of him and her face would light up like he was the only one she wanted to see.

Sansa reached the table and smiled at him, “Hi Jon.”

“Hey Sansa,” he smiled back.

Sansa shrugged off her coat and hung it on the back of the chair along with her purse. Jon found himself admiring her and how beautiful she was. She was lovely in a way that wasn’t loud or ostentatious, but in her own graceful and subtle way. They were all things he liked about her, but the best part was that unlike his relationship with Ygritte, things with Sansa were easy and even though they might not always completely understand the other, their relationship was full of patience and willingness to listen and help the other. He couldn’t help but let his mind explore the possibility of something more with Sansa. He’d missed her while they weren’t talking and had felt like something was lacking in his life. He struggled everyday to not reach out and just go get coffee with her and have easy conversation with her. A relationship with her wouldn’t be that far of a stretch from what they already had, but his greatest hesitation from several weeks earlier was still with him.

What would happen to his relationship with the Starks if something went wrong? Would Robb hate him if he decided to date Sansa? Would his relationship with the rest of her siblings be damaged? That was the last thing that he wanted to happen.

Jon decided that before he could even think of bringing it up to Sansa, he would need to talk to Robb for his own sanity.

“You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this,” Sansa sighed, leaning back in her chair, completely relaxed in his presence.

His heart swelled at her words and he had to fight back the urge to admit everything that he was feeling to her then and there.

"I've been looking forward to it too," he smiled. He could tell tonight was going to be good and he was going to talk to Robb as soon as possible.

Robb was finally able to make it into town from Amherst three days after he and Sansa went to The Watch together and he was getting anxious. It was getting harder and harder not to let Sansa know how he felt and see if she returned his feelings.

Jon sat in a booth at their usual lunch place, The Smoking Log, bouncing his leg underneath the table. He was nervous to say the least and was getting more and more wary of the public location he'd chosen. He really hoped this didn’t go south and he really didn’t want to be kicked out of one of his favorite places to get onion rings.

Robb slid into the spot across from him and Jon jumped slightly. He hadn’t even noticed Robb approach, he’d been so wrapped up in his thoughts and worries.

“Hey,” Robb said, snagging an onion ring from the plate that sat in the middle of the table.

Jon smiled nervously, “Hey. Thanks for coming to meet me for lunch.”

Robb shook his head, “No worries. Anytime. Sorry it took so long to get down here. Things at the office are crazy right now.”

Jon shrugged, “It’s fine. I’m just glad you made it down.”

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Robb asked him.

“It’s uh… it’s about Sansa actually.”

Robb looked up from the menu. Jon didn’t know why he bothered with it in the first place, he always got the same thing. Nervously he glanced back down, it shouldn’t be this difficult to talk to your best friend about girls.

“Yeah?” Robb nudged Jon’s menu, which he’d taken a sudden interest in, toward the table. “What about Sansa?”

“Well, do you remember how when we went and watched the game when you were in town a while back and I mentioned Sansa and I had been meeting for coffee?” Jon asked, trying to swallow down his nervousness.

“Yeah. You said it was nice to have a reason to get out of the house and to talk to someone who got what you were going through,” Robb said.

“Well, nothing was defined or actually going on, but I couldn’t help but…” Jon was interrupted by Robb.

“If you’re going to tell me you have feelings for my sister, I’m going to need you to stop right there. What’s the point of this? Why are we talking about it?”

“Well, after the game I went home and thought about it and decided I couldn’t risk our friendship or my relationship with the rest of your family so I told her we couldn’t hang out anymore.” He paused to gauge Robb’s reaction. “I avoided her, she avoided me and she ended up back with Joffrey.”

The waitress made her way over to see if they were ready, Robb shook his head. “Snow...”

“I didn’t plan on it.” Jon wanted to defend himself.

“I didn’t say you did, but you like my little sister man. What...she’s my little sister,” Robb said.

“I know and that’s one of the reasons I stopped hanging out with her. She came to the firehouse and...she said she hated the avoiding each other thing and I did too,” Jon told him. “Then...after Rickon’s party she said she’d missed me and I’d missed her too. Just talking to her and being around her...I fucking missed it. We went out for drinks a couple nights ago and it...it was so easy Robb. She’s easy to talk to and I feel like she listens to me. She makes me happy Robb and...I like to think I make her happy too.”

Robb stared at his best friend for a few moments shook his head.

“Well, you’re no Joffrey Baratheon, that’s for sure. I can’t be too mad at you...you’d never treat her like he did…but I swear to God Jon, if you hurt her I won’t hesitate to kick your ass.”

Jon chuckled, “I wouldn’t expect anything less. Hell if I hurt her, I might get to myself before you do.”

Robb shook his head, “I’d like to see you try.”

A half-smile made its way onto Jon’s face and he looked back down at his menu. That definitely could have gone way worse.


	13. Rekindling Pt. 2

Sansa pulled her legs up onto the couch as Arianne plopped down next to her after handing over a glass of red wine from her family’s vineyard.

“So, you went out with Jon?” Arianne asked, “He’s the one with the curls and great arms right?”  
Sansa shook her head, “Of course that’s how you remember him...yeah, that’s Jon. We went and got drinks at The Watch to catch up since we haven’t really seen each other in awhile.”

“How was it? It must have been nice to be out on a date with someone who wasn’t constantly flirting with other girls,” Arianne told her.

Sansa looked at her friend, “It wasn’t a date Arianne. We were just two friends who were catching up. It was just a friend thing.”

“San, he seems really nice, why wouldn’t you, I don’t know, here’s a crazy thought, want it to be a date?”

“Seems is right. He seems really nice,” Sansa told her.

Arianne sighed, “Come on Sansa. You’ve known Jon since we were high school seniors. You know he’s nice and caring. You know these things about him.”

There was a long silence between the two as Sansa stared into her wine glass and swirled the liquid around. She bit the inside of her cheek repeatedly and took a long drink of her wine before finally speaking, “I thought I knew those things about Joffrey too Arianne. He was kind and loving and caring until he wasn’t.”

Arianne looked at her best friend and bit her lip, “I get that you can’t help feeling that way...but does that mean you can’t give someone else a try?”

Sansa took another drink from her wine glass and shook her head, “I honestly just...I’m scared and what if I’m wrong about him? I thought I was right about Joff and I think I know Jon, but there’s a piece inside of me deep inside that just tells me that I can’t trust my gut because it’s betrayed me before.”

“I know you’re not going to get past this in one night, but...maybe you should trust your gut one last time, but also the facts. You know Jon. Really know him,” Arianne told her best friend, “No matter what though, Loras, Myranda, and I will be here and I will do my best to make sure the same thing that happened with Joffrey doesn’t happen with Jon, even though I highly doubt it will.”

Sansa chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment and smiled softly at her best friend, “Thanks Ari...I appreciate that.”

Arianne smiled back at Sansa and rubbed her arm gently before turning to turn on Sixteen Candles. Sansa gave her another smile and leaned forward to pour some more wine from the bottle sitting on the coffee table. She picked at her yoga pants as she took sips of her wine and half-heartedly paid attention to the movie. Even if Arianne was right and Sansa did know Jon and he wasn’t going to turn out like Joffrey after a few months, she was damaged goods and there was no way she could ever deserve someone like Jon. Jon’s kind and sweet and funny on occasion and definitely deserved someone who wasn’t damaged like she was. She would probably never be the same Sansa as before Joffrey and their mess of a relationship.

Was there any real reason to be worried about all of this? Did Jon even think of her as more than a friend? Sansa bit her lip and thought back to the night before. Jon had seemed different. Maybe a little too eager to be there and to see her. Overly so maybe...Maybe she was right. Maybe he was trying to mess with her head. What if this was just a way to get back at Ygritte? There was no way he was interested in her after being with a gorgeous, outgoing woman like Ygritte. She and Ygritte were total opposites, probably just as opposite as she and Arya if not more so.

Sansa ran a hand through her hair and chewed on her lip. Maybe she was being crazy. Ygritte and Jon did break up and Robb said they had a turbulent relationship, so maybe Jon was interested in her. Even if he was, was she ready to be with someone else? Should she be with someone else? Was being with someone so soon after Joffrey even a good idea? Sansa sighed. She needed to talk to someone. Someone who knew her and Jon and would give her honest opinions. Robb, I’ll talk to Robb, she thought to herself.

Sansa met Robb at her apartment after work and grabbed him a beer. She handed his beer over and poured herself a glass of wine. She sat down on the couch across from him and pulled her legs underneath herself. “Thanks for coming over. I really needed to talk to you about something,” Sansa told him.

He shook his head, “It’s not a big deal. Anything for my little sister.”

Sansa smiled, “I appreciate that, but this might be...a little awkward. As you know, Jon and I were hanging out awhile back and I guess it isn’t quite as simple as all that…”

Robb watched Sansa and she bit her lip, looking down at her wine glass. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that...I think I have...feelings for Jon and I don’t really know what to do. Part of me can’t shake the feeling that he’s going to turn out to be like Joffrey and another part of me knows that that isn’t the type of person Jon is. Then again, I just...I can’t help but feel like he deserves better than me. I’m not half as gorgeous as Ygritte and I come with a hell of a lot more baggage. I don’t know if I should say anything or if the signs I’ve picked up on are pointing me in the right direction or not…has...has Jon said anything to you?”

Robb sighed, “He hasn’t said anything specific San, but I can tell you this. He’s not Joffrey and he would never put you through the things Joffrey has. As far as he and Ygritte are concerned, she is his past and he was ready for it to be over even if he didn’t know it at the time. I think, little sister, that it is time for you to take a risk on something. I think it’s time to take a leap of faith and reach for what you want, to reach for something that will probably make you happy. You deserve happiness Sansa and if Jon can’t look past the “baggage” then he isn’t the man I thought he was, but I think you need to get out of your head and stop talking to me about it and talk to him. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised about what he has to say.”

Sansa swirled the wine in her glass and looked up at Robb, a slight smile on her face. She set down her glass and moved to hug her brother, “Thank you Robb.”

Robb set his beer down and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head affectionately, “You’re welcome San. Now, how about that Criminal Minds marathon, little sister?”

Sansa laughed softly and sat up, “Sure thing, big brother.” She reached for the remote and turned on the TV and started up Netflix. As they settled in to finish season three, Sansa decided that she would take her brother’s advice. She would talk to Jon. After all he was the only one who knew what he felt and what he thought and the only other person in this situation who could help her make a decision about their future relationship.

 


	14. Incandescent

“Hey,” Sansa smiled when Jon made his way to the table. “Thanks for coming after work, I would have suggested a different day if I knew.”

“I was happy you called. I wasn’t sure that you would.” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Why? I thought we ended on the same page the other night.” Sansa said nervously.

“It’s nothing,” that only made her more nervous. Could he tell? “I just thought maybe I came on too strongly. That maybe you thought I was too eager.”

Sansa sighed and ran a hand through her locks, “It wasn’t you. I had some stuff of my own to sort through before I called you. I needed to figure out how to explain it.”

Jon nodded and took a drink of his beer, “I take it you got it all figured out?”

Sansa smiled, “I did.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a few moments, tracing shapes into the condensation on her glass. “I guess the easiest thing to put out there is that I’m nervous about all of this. I’m really nervous after everything that happened with Joffrey. I think that’s only natural and I want you to know it’s not because I’m scared of you or I don’t trust you, but...there’s this small part of my brain that won’t let me trust you completely.”

Jon opened his mouth to say something, but she shook her head, “No, if I don’t get all of this out now, I never will.” He nodded, focusing back on her. “I’m not good for you,” she said. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fully trust someone again, and that’s a big risk for you. I do like you, I want you to understand that. I also want you to know that, it’s a risk I want to take. I want to jump in. I want to be brave and trust you and take this risk. But you deserve to know what you’re getting yourself into. You deserve to have the chance to turn and run now before we get in too deep.” She wrung her hands in her lap, trying to give him a second to process everything she just revealed.

He took a long time to reply, she appreciated that, but it made her nervous all the same. She half expected him to stand up and leave. Instead he leaned forward, waiting until she looked at him to talk. “You’re not scaring me off ok?” He reached to take her hand. “I’m here if you’ll have me.”

Sansa turned her hand over in his and squeezed his hand gently. She swallowed hard and nodded, “I...I’ll have you if you’ll have me.”

Jon smiled and nodded, “I’ll have you Sansa. For as long as you’re willing to allow.”

Sansa laughed softly, squeezed his hand again and smiled at him. She was taking a risk and it was a little scary, but she was excited to take this risk. She only hoped Jon meant what he said.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
